As many as 58% of male motorists admit they have no idea how to look after their vehicle or what lies under the bonnet, the survey by www.webuyanycar.com found.

And 41% do not even try to wash their car, the poll of 1,500 male motorists showed.

Also, a third of men do not know the meaning of warning lights on the dashboard, while 31% refuse to carry out the most basic maintenance tasks.

The poll also showed that 21% of men even avoid filling their car up with fuel, preferring to have someone else do it.

As many as 30% said they were embarrassed by their lack of basic car maintenance skills.

Male drivers in Aberdeen were the best at car maintenance, followed by those in Wrexham in North Wales and in Leicester.

Those living in Cambridge were worst at maintenance followed by those in Worcester and Brighton.

Paul Coulter, spokesman for www.webuyanycar.com, said: "The results of the survey are shocking. You would assume that men in particular would at least know the basics about how a car works and how to look after it, but this simply isn't the case.

"If you take good care of your car, you are likely to get a better price for it when you come to sell it. You'll also find a car which is in good working order and condition much easier to sell."